Coast crews return to massive fire

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FRESH fire crews from the Sunshine Coast are returning today to the scene of a massive fire west of Gympie that has now burned through 4500 hectares.

The latest contingent of seven appliances, more than 20 Rural Fire Service volunteers and three sector commanders will join strike teams from Brisbane, Toowoomba, Gympie and Maryborough crews as the fight enters its third day.

Acting Sunshine Coast Rural Fire Services Area Director Andrew Allan said fire fighters had thought they had the blaze pinned down Thursday morning after had razed more than 2000 ha.

However a south-westerly wind shift allowed it to jump a creek and race through 10km of grassland in a north-easterly direction towards the small township of Miva.

Sunshine Coast crews manning 10 appliances again fought the blaze well into last night with Mr Allan saying that was when the best work was done.

It allowed the crews time to back burn in a bid to contain the fire front.

"In the day time it's more a matter of defence protecting property and stock,” he said.

"The fire was going so quickly it was just burning straight past fire crews yesterday.”

Ken Stockton who was on the fire front all day Thursday, said it had been a real fight all day to try and get control.

"Today we've got a bit of a handle on it,” Mr Stockton said.

He's just back from the United States where a contingent of Australian fire officers helped organise the response to some of the largest fires to burn through California.

Mr Stockton said the difference between the two approaches was that Australian volunteer crews aggressively fought fires in a bid to put them out, in the United States fire services were contracted to do the job which was seen more as containment.

Containment was the first order of business though today for a blaze that has left buildings, cattle yards and fencing destroyed and cattle burned.

The Sunshine Coast Airport-based McDermott Aviation Group had spotter aircraft and Bell 214 water bombers working throughout the daylight hours.

Simon McDermott said the helicopters could reload with 3000 litres of water at a time in just 40 seconds.